Help & How to

Tutorials

Watch these six user-friendly tutorials to get up and running fast. At about 5 minutes each, they pack in a lot of info.

Documentation

Consult the latest documentation and find out about training options.

Training

If you want to create those realistic, 3D images, but don’t quite know where to start, how about at the beginning? In this 45-minute introductory session, you’ll learn how to use Vivien’s Room template to create a basic room, and then you’ll add colour and texture to it. Next you’ll use each of Vivien’s User-friendly Wizards to add tables & chairs, pipe & drape, a projector and screen, and a length of truss. You’ll add some basic lighting and lastly, you’ll learn how to use the Render Wizard to create photorealistic renderings.

Each session lasts roughly 45 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of live online chat during which you can ask the instructor questions on a first-come, first-served basis. This session costs $50.00 (US). After you select and purchase your class, we’ll send you an email detailing how to log on to each session. All you need is a computer connected to the internet and a phone! (Long distance charges will apply if you reside outside of North America.)

To process your registration, we request that you sign up at least 24 hours in advance. When you click Sign Up, you will be directed to our online store to purchase your class. Note that the training options are listed at the bottom of the store items, so you may have to scroll down to see them.

Online training is coming soon!  Please email us at training@viviendesign.com for more information.

Contact Technical Support

We're here to help you. For support inquiries, please click above or call us during regular business hours (9:30AM to 5:30PM Eastern Time, Monday to Friday).

Head Office (Canada) 

416.597.2278 / 877.989.2278, ext. 245

The Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg)

(0) 307112510

UK Office

020 7117 0207

You can also email our Technical Support Department 24-7:

techsupport@viviendesign.com

Installation Note

You can only install Vivien on an NTFS-formatted hard drive (not on a FAT32-formatted hard drive).

Since Vivien can only be installed on an NTFS-formatted hard drive, it is a good idea to check your hard drive formation before you install the software.

Among other restrictions, FAT32 can only support a limited number of files in a directory; therefore, you require an NTFS-formatted drive (which does not have this limitation) to install the application.

Follow the steps below to check your hard drive formation:

1. Click Start > My Computer.
2. Right-click on the hard drive on which you want to install Vivien (for example, the C: drive), and select Properties.

Result: The following window appears:

 

 4. If the File system (see the red outline in the screenshot) says NTFS, then you can proceed with the Vivien installation. If, however, it says FAT32, then you must convert your hard drive to NTFS before you can install the software. Please make sure you back up your files/hard drive before you convert to avoid potential data loss.

Note: You do not have to reformat your hard drive; instead, you need only convert your file system by choosing Microsoft's Convert.exe option. For information on this utility, consult the Microsoft website for conversion instructions. At the time of publication, the instructions were posted to this location: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307881.

For further assistance, please contact Cast technical support at 1.877.989.2278, Option 1.

System Requirements

The following requirements are separated according to the level of functionality that you want to achieve (basic, optimum, advanced).
Note: When running Vivien on a MAC with Bootcamp, performance is comparable to
running Vivien on a PC. When running Vivien on a MAC in Parallels, performance is slightly degraded when compared to a PC.

1. Minimum System Requirements (basic functionality)
  • Pentium or compatible processor 1.6GHz or better
  • Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (or later)
  • MAC Intel Processor platforms with Windows XP (SP2 or later) on Bootcamp configuration or with Parallels software installed
  • 512MB RAM
  • 500MB free disk space
  • 1024 x 768 or better resolution
  • OpenGL-accelerated display adapter with 64MB video memory
  • NTFS-formatted hard drive
Note: You cannot install Vivien on a hard drive that has been formatted in the FAT32 file system.

2. Recommended System Requirements (optimum performance)
  • Pentium 4 compatible processor 2.4 Ghz or better
  • Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (or later)
  • MAC Intel Processor platforms with Windows XP (SP2 or later) on Bootcamp configuration or with Parallels software installed
  • 1024MB RAM
  • 750MB free disk space
  • 1024 x 768 or better resolution
  • OpenGL-accelerated display adapter with 128MB video memory
  • NTFS-formatted hard drive
Note: You cannot install Vivien on a hard drive that has been formatted in the FAT32 file system.

3. High Performance System Requirements (best possible response and rendering time)
  • Dual-CPU Computer or better with Multi-Core processor or Hyper-Threading technology
  • Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (or later)
  • MAC Intel Processor platforms with Windows XP (SP2 or later) on Bootcamp configuration or with Parallels software installed
  • 2048MB RAM
  • 750MB free disk space
  • 1024 x 768 or better resolution
  • PCI Express Video Card with OpenGL-accelerated display adapter with 512MB (or better) video memory
  • NTFS-formatted hard drive

Note: You cannot install Vivien on a hard drive that has been formatted in the FAT32 file system.

Vivien 1.5

To download Vivien 1.5, click Download Now. Once the installation file is downloaded to your computer, you can install the software.

Download Now

Upgrade from Vivien 1.2 to 1.5

To upgrade your current installation of Vivien 1.2 to Vivien 1.5, click Download Now. Once the installation file is downloaded to your computer, you can install the upgrade software.

If you currently have the Vivien 1.2 Trial software installed and still have time remaining in the 15-day trial period, you can upgrade to Version 1.5 and use the new software for the remainder of your current trial period. Click Download Now to save the file to your computer, and then install the upgrade.

Download Now

Vivien 1.5 Texture Pack

The Vivien Texture Pack includes thousands of texture files (graphics) that you can apply to almost every element in your Vivien drawings. For example, you can apply textures that look like carpeting to the floor of your venues.

To decrease download time, the Texture files were removed from the Vivien 1.5 installer. To use these texture files, you must first download and install the Texture Pack.

Download Now

WYSIWYG Compatibility Pack for Vivien 1.5

To open and work with files created in WYSIWYG, you must first download and install this compatibility pack.

Download Now

Release Notes for Vivien 1.5

Click Download Now to view the Release Notes for Vivien 1.5. This document contains the latest information on updates and bug fixes for this version of the software, as well as a description of the features included in this release. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view this document.

Download Now

Upgrade from Vivien 1.1 to 1.2

To upgrade your current installation of Vivien 1.1 to Vivien 1.2, click Download Now. Once the installation file is downloaded to your computer, you can install the upgrade software.

Download Now

Vivien 1.2 Texture Pack

The Vivien Texture Pack includes thousands of texture files (graphics) that you can apply to almost every element in your Vivien drawings. For example, you can apply textures that look like carpeting to the floor of your venues.

To decrease download time, the Texture files were removed from the Vivien 1.2 installer. To use these texture files, you must first download and install the Texture Pack.

Download Now

Upgrade from Vivien 1.0 to 1.2

If you currently have Vivien 1.0 installed, you cannot upgrade directly to Vivien 1.2. For assistance, please call Cast at 416.597.2278 / 1.877.989.2278.

WYSIWYG Compatibility Pack for Vivien 1.2

To open and work with files created in WYSIWYG, you must first download and install this compatibility pack.

Download Now

Known Issues and Workarounds

A list of known issues and workarounds for the current release are published here. These include issues that were known at the time of publishing the Release Notes as well as those that have been uncovered since then. This list is updated as required.

Download Now

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